“Kneel.” Eldest Aunt spoke calmly, her expression cold and devoid of the warmth she had shown before.
Gu Chunran dropped to her knees smoothly and even tugged on Song Zhiwei’s sleeve. But Song Zhiwei remained standing straight as a bamboo stalk, as though she had not heard the command at all. Only after the stifling silence stretched for several moments did she slowly and calmly kneel. Yet that brief hesitation alone made her meaning clear.
She knelt only out of filial duty and because Madam Zhao was her elder.
Madam Xu, the wife of the Minister of Personnel, gently set down her teacup when she saw this. Folding her hands in her lap, she said, “Madam Zhao, why make the atmosphere so tense? It’s merely a minor matter among the younger generation. It needn’t go this far.”
Madam Zhao’s expression faltered. Song Zhiwei’s silent act of resistance had already embarrassed her, and the resulting frustration only made her more irritated.
At Madam Xu’s words, Madam Zhao forced a smile. “How could I not? After all, a child of my household has done something wrong.”
Then she turned sharply to Song Zhiwei, her tone severe. “Do you still not understand what you did wrong? In front of so many people, you took liberties with someone and even struck her. Is this how your family raised you?”
The moment Madam Zhao said this, Madam Xu’s eldest daughter seemed to find her courage and immediately glared at Song Zhiwei.
“Just because you know how to swim, you’ve become arrogant and conceited. Do you think that saving someone gives you the right to hit people whenever you please?”
Song Zhiwei’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Now she understood.
The root of the matter was not that they failed to understand what she had been doing. It was that she had struck back. It was that Madam Zhao believed she ought not to have caused trouble for the family, ought not to have stepped out of line.
Song Zhiwei lowered her head without speaking. Her mind raced as she searched for the right words. Yet the fingers clutching the edge of her skirt had turned white, filled with an indescribable mixture of helplessness and anger.
“Why aren’t you speaking?” A trace of mockery entered Madam Zhao’s voice. As soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to realize she had been a little too harsh. Rubbing her forehead with her handkerchief, she tried to regain her composure.
No matter what, this matter had to be settled. She had already made her position clear. She had already reprimanded Song Zhiwei. Now all that remained was soothing the Minister of Personnel’s two daughters. Later, once they returned home, she could properly punish Song Zhiwei within the family. After that, she could marry the girl off somewhere far away, and the entire incident would quietly disappear.
But just as she was about to speak, Song Zhiwei finally raised her head.
Her words were clear and firm, ringing through the room. “It is human nature to feel fear. I know I should not have meddled in another’s affairs and caused my aunt such difficulty in handling the situation, but at that moment, I could not think of anything else.”
Song Zhiwei lifted her gaze. Her eyes were bright and unwavering as she looked directly at the young woman she had pulled from the water.
“I myself nearly drowned not long ago,” Song Zhiwei said, her voice clear and steady. “I know the despair and panic of that moment. The memory is etched into my bones. I could not bear to watch such a tragedy happen to someone else. My conduct may have been improper, but if punishment is due, then I beg Your Highness to punish me.”
Having finished speaking, she bowed deeply until her forehead touched the floor.
The room fell completely silent. Her words were organized, reasonable, and impossible to dismiss lightly. Only then did Madam Zhao suddenly realize where she had gone wrong. When she first heard that someone had fallen into the water and her niece had rescued them, she hadn’t thought it particularly serious.
Only afterward, when Meng Qiyue came to report what had happened, did she ask for details. She learned that Song Zhiwei had pulled the girl from the water, had “taken liberties” with her while administering aid, and had even slapped the daughter of the Minister of Personnel in front of an entire gathering of noble young ladies.
That was when she became anxious. She had never known Song Zhiwei well. Furthermore, she knew the girl came from a remote provincial region.
She had assumed people from such places could appear meek and obedient on the surface while acting crudely and without refinement when it came to action. Originally, she had intended to bring Song Zhiwei home and deal with the matter privately. But before she could do so, the Princess Royal had already sent for them and summoned everyone to this flower hall to discuss the situation. From then on, her only thought was how to minimize the damage as quickly as possible.
The Gu family had maintained its prosperity for generations as a noble military household precisely because it understood how to seek advantage and avoid danger. No matter what happened, they seldom chose to offend civil officials. Especially not someone as influential as the Minister of Personnel.
Hearing Song Zhiwei’s words, Madam Zhao immediately realized that she had misjudged the situation.
Someone capable of speaking so clearly and logically was obviously not a foolish girl who would recklessly cause trouble at a formal gathering. If that was the case, then what had happened earlier deserved closer examination.
Madam Zhao turned toward the Princess Royal.
The Princess Royal had summoned everyone here precisely because she intended to investigate and mediate the matter.
As for Li Rongpei, she knew his character well. None of the younger generation who enjoyed the Empress Dowager’s favor were simple-minded fools. Nor was he the sort of idiot who would stir up trouble among the ladies for no reason. Only his own mother, Princess Consort Rong, who did not fully understand her son, would think him capable of such senseless mischief.
The Princess Royal had already been puzzled about why Li Rongpei had acted the way he had. Now, however, she understood instantly. It had been nothing more than youthful impulsiveness. The boy had wanted to protect someone. And after hearing Song Zhiwei’s words, she suddenly found herself interested in the young woman.
That’s right. Hadn’t Madam Wang mentioned earlier that she had a young niece whose medical skills were astonishing despite her age? She had said this very niece healed illnesses that physicians throughout the capital had failed to cure.
At the time, the Princess Royal had found the story interesting, but nothing more. She had dismissed it as one of those curious tales people liked to pass around.
After all, Song Zhiwei was only a young girl. Perhaps it had simply been luck. Perhaps she had stumbled upon the right treatment.
But now that the Princess Royal had truly paid attention and examined Song Zhiwei carefully, she quietly nodded in approval. Whatever else might be said of her, the girl’s bearing was remarkable. Indeed, she was different from girls her age.
Song Zhiwei already had a remarkably steady temperament, and her straightforward honesty showed in the way she looked at people. And then there were her eyes. They were the eyes of a physician. Most imperial doctors had eyes like that. After witnessing too much suffering, their gazes often became both compassionate and faintly detached.
“Tell us truthfully what happened,” the Princess Royal finally said.
The moment those words were spoken, however, her stance had already shifted somewhat. By being willing to hear an explanation, she had given Song Zhiwei a chance to defend herself.
Meng Qiyue was the first to notice that change. How could they let Song Zhiwei off so easily? She had done something like this. Why were they treating someone like her so leniently?
Meng Qiyue felt increasingly uneasy. Deep down, she hoped Song Zhiwei would answer poorly. Her attention fixed entirely upon her.
Kneeling on the floor, Song Zhiwei spoke calmly, simply recounting the facts. “I heard someone had fallen into the water while I was in the waterside pavilion, so I went to rescue her. She inhaled water, and duckweed was lodged in her throat. I removed the duckweed. When I realized she could no longer breathe, I gave her breath.”
She continued evenly, “The Jinkui Yaolue records methods for emergency treatment in cases of drowning and sudden death. Techniques similar to chest compression and artificial respiration are discussed there.”
The moment those words were spoken, Madam Zhao knew the matter was effectively settled. Had the incident remained mere rumor, the weight of countless voices would have made the truth impossible to determine. In later years, no one could have explained clearly what had actually happened. But now that it had been brought before the Princess Royal, the cause and course of events had become perfectly clear.
Under those circumstances, Madam Xu could neither emotionally nor logically continue accusing Song Zhiwei of wrongdoing. Instead, she had to express gratitude. Otherwise, her reputation would suffer.